Scotland vs England
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Election 2010: Scotland saw through the English public schoolboys | UK news | guardian.co.uk.
The BNP is on the wane, but its spirit lives in Scotland. We knew the Scots were not fond of us, but who knew it was this bad? McKenna's piece is probably criminal, given the extent to which it incites the English to hate his fellow Scots. Not to worry. Spare yourself the cost of a lawyer, laddie. We are not the whingeing, easily-offended types. We have been hated by far better men than you, McKenna, and thrived.
You ask if Scotland and England have ever been farther apart. Aye, laddie. We have been at war far more times than you like selectively to remember. Usually with England's deadliest enemies as your allies, and you their dupes. It only ended when you bankrupted yourselves in a vain attempt to emulate us and came crawling to be bailed out. Of course, it's all forgotten now - South of the Border - but if you want to write fetid stuff like this...
I also detected a mounting fury among Scots voters at what they regarded as a very English election and the viciousness of the vendetta that was mounted against Gordon Brown. We believe that we share with him a sense of rectitude not apparent in louche England.
At times during this election he was like a dancing bear tethered to a wall and suffering the little torments of the mob. Many hearts bled for him, even those who had not previously been well-disposed to him.
...you may expect even the relaxed English to remember their history. "Louche" are we? My dictionary defines that as:
disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way
I don't deny we have our black sheep, but I think you can give us a run for our money in the "disreputable and sordid" stakes. Good luck with the "appealing" part though.
By the way, no wonder you are so catastrophically stupid in your political judgements. You can't even distinguish pompous hypocrisy from rectitude. We don't hate him for being Scots, you ass. We hate him for bankrupting our country while (rather like you in this article) pretending to be our moral superior. We shall feel free to hate you, however, for thinking us as petty, tribal and class-ridden as yourself.
Before you get on your moral high sheep, please bear in mind that you have imposed a government on us we do not want - and not for the first time. Bear in mind also that we are well aware you have the irresponsible luxury to do it because a mere 163,000 of you are net contributors to the national Treasury. The rest of you are serpent-toothed ingrates, as you and your fathers have been since the Acts of Union they grovelled for. You tell us that;
An economic recovery programme that targets the public sector and thus the poorest and most vulnerable will strain the union to breaking point.
I have never read a more high-toned piece of self-serving pompous tosh in my life (and I am a regular reader of the Guardian!) You are hopelessly out of date if you think we give a drunken ghillie's fart for the Union. We are all for anything that will promote the Scottish non-dependence you bang on about, but never actually want. Face it laddie. You want to leave the Union as much as a flea wants to leave a dog.
Be off with you. Found your Socialist Republic. Try not to be shocked when the United Kingdom you have left vetoes your application to join the EU. After all, why should we let you continue your parasitism by other means? The best of luck bleeding white those poor, isolated 163,000! You might have to nail them to their office floors to do it. It might even be amusing, before the borders are closed, to offer them political asylum.
Perhaps that would even be the kindest thing to do? After all, it's about the only way you will ever learn to stand on your own feet and stop blaming everything on us.
Granted, but you still have to share it with Socialist parasites.
Posted by: Tom | Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 07:34 AM
So go for independence then. Why stay with people you hate? It's so weak and pathetic to play the victim the whole time. Be a man, as Wallace would wish.
Posted by: Tom | Friday, May 14, 2010 at 02:24 PM
I was 19 in 1968 and living in Scotland. A hurricane in January of that year did a lot of damage; 15 - 20 years later, many buildings in Glasgow still had tarpaulins covering missing roofs. Westminster did basically nothing.
A while after the hurricane, there were floods in Kent. The government in London right away sent in the army to fix things up.
Just one more reason at the time to hate the English.
Posted by: David Johnson | Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 09:48 PM
We have better scenery than you.
Posted by: Colin Campbell | Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 08:46 AM
The link works for me. It goes to an article by a former editor of The Scotsman and adviser to Donald Dewar named Tim Luckhurst. The relevant passage is:
"...One recent calculation estimates that just 163,000 Scottish taxpayers, from a population of 5m, make any net contribution to the British exchequer. The rest receive more than they pay out in reliefs, subsidies and benefits..."
I had Iain Dale put this figure at the time to Nicola Sturgeon on the late lamented 18 Doughty Street internet TV show and her response was "That's probably true of the North of England too".
Yes, I believe it's true. I don't believe it's an indication of anything being wrong with Scots. If you create a situation where people can elect politicians on promises to spend other peoples' money without consequences to themselves, it would apply anywhere.
It does make McKenna's claim of superior "rectitude" very annoying though. I love Scotland and have several Scots friends (though no Labour ones) but I hope you can understand my strong reaction to such hypocrisy.
Posted by: Tom | Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 01:31 AM
Just to re-iterate what Mr Eugenides said, McKenna does not speak for the people of Scotland. His article is a complete embarrassment. Mr McKenna comes from the Catholic Irish tradition which embedded itself into the Scottish Labour establishment. There has long been a symbiotic relationship between this Irish diaspora and the Labour Party in the West of Scotland (John Reid, Gorbals Mick, Jim Murpy etc.)
Please also remember that the Labour Party has complete control of the media here (The Hootsman, The Herald and the Daily Retard). They even have their own radio station called BBC Radio Scotland. The Labour Party in Scotland are also masters of negative campaigning and scaremongering. They know which emotional buttons to press to whip their core vote into line. I would suggest that that had something to do with last Thursday's result.
Not sure where this 163,000 comes from though. In 2007 there were about 2,500,000 employed in Scotland. Around 600,000 in the public sector and 1,900,000 in the private sector. Are you seriously suggesting that only 163,000 are net contributors? (The link to the Times didn't work but I wouldn't believe anything published there anyway)
Posted by: Lithgae Dave | Monday, May 10, 2010 at 08:36 PM
[Chuckle]
Posted by: jameshigham | Monday, May 10, 2010 at 12:30 AM
I don't live in the UK and I'm not from there ether. So I mostly don't have any ideal what your talking about, but you've given me an insite into your politics and I want to thank you. Keep doing what your doing.
Posted by: John | Sunday, May 09, 2010 at 08:43 PM
Absolutely outstanding rant Tom. Much needed - and appreciated!
Posted by: Katabasis | Sunday, May 09, 2010 at 01:20 PM
In the case of the Scots, I'm not sure whether their Labour voting is bovine stupidity or rational (albeit short term and unenlightened) self interest.
As I wrote yesterday, Scots seem quite happy with the status quo.
I'm minded to agree that they should be cut loose. Certainly English subsidy of Scottish socialism must stop, and if the Union continues, the West Lothian Question must be resolved.
Re the EU, we can only veto if we stay in, and we desperately need to extricate ourselves from that corrupt, bureaucratic, undemocratic, socialist proto-superstate.
If we set Scotland free, there is no doubt they will go running to the EU, and the beachead they would provide would have terrible implications for national defence, and the integrity of our borders.
It is hard to see a satisfactory solution. The ideal outcome would be for Scots to rediscover their pride, give up their victim mentality, and start living like men, rather than parasites.
Of course, these arguments also apply to the Soviet North of England. Perhaps we should cut them loose as well ...
Posted by: Suboptimal Planet | Sunday, May 09, 2010 at 12:40 PM
Mr. E., Your offer of political asylum will be in the post if the time comes. We can't have you on the wrong side of Hadrian's Firewall can we?
Posted by: Tom | Sunday, May 09, 2010 at 10:13 AM
When will the truth get out about Steve Purcell north of the border?
I think Mr. McKenna would be more worthwhile employed digging into that than turning out tosh such as this.
Posted by: Barnacle Bill | Sunday, May 09, 2010 at 09:35 AM
A splendid rant. But please, please, do not take Kevin McKenna as in any way representative of the views of Scots.
Yes, an appalling number of them voted for Labour yet again, proving that bovine stupidity is, sadly, alive and well. But McKenna is a cock. He no more represents the views of most Scots than Gary Younge or Seumas Milne represent yours.
Posted by: Mr Eugenides | Sunday, May 09, 2010 at 08:56 AM